Category Archives: Manufacturing

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

South Elgin, IL -Fire at manufacturing plant controlled by fire sprinkler activation; No injuries reported

A fire at a manufacturing plant in South Elgin caused no injuries and did not involve hazardous chemicals, fire officials said.

The South Elgin & Countryside Fire Protection District responded at 8:27 p.m. Tuesday to a report of a structure fire at Marble Works, 1601 N. La Fox St., Assistant Fire Chief Mike Rothecker said in a news release Wednesday.

Firefighters were met by two employees outside the 15,000-square-foot building who said there was a large fire inside the manufacturing plant. The employees said there were some hazardous chemicals near the fire, the release said.

Firefighters entered, saw heavy smoke and requested additional help. Fire departments from Elgin, Bartlett, Fox River Fire, Pingree Grove and Elburn assisted at the scene. Departments from Hanover Park, Geneva, Hampshire and West Dundee filled in at the South Elgin fire stations.

The fire was in the warehouse area of the manufacturing plant building, Rothecker said. The building’s fire sprinkler system was activated by the fire and contained the flames until firefighters extinguished it in about 40 minutes.

Members of the South Elgin fire district’s hazardous materials team determined there were no hazardous chemicals involved in the fire, officials said.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

La Vergne, TN – Material that caught on fire at plant contained by sprinkler system

A fire was reported at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday at Bridgestone Firestone Distribution Center in La Vergne, a city official confirmed.

The sprinkler system was activated after material in the plant caught on fire, said Anne Smith, public relations officer for the city of La Vergne.

“The fire only caused minor damage to the building,” Smith said. 

Two occupants sought medical care at the nurse station at the plant, where they were treated for minor injuries.

Smith said Rutherford County EMS was called to Bridgestone, but it is unclear whether the patients were transported to a medical facility, Smith said.

No other information is available at this time. This is a developing story.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

San Antonio, TX – Sprinkler system puts out fire at local plant; No injuries reported

Nearly 30 fire crews responded to a report of a 2-alarm fire at a facility on the Northeast Side on Friday morning.

The fire was reported at about 6 a.m. at a plant located at Nacogdoches Road and Wurzbach Parkway.

Aerial footage showed several people were evacuated from the building; they stood in the parking lot as fire crews worked inside and outside the plant.

The San Antonio Fire Department reported the fire was out by 7:30 a.m. and crews were working to ventilate the building. An agency spokesperson said the fire may have started with the machinery; it was extinguished by the sprinkler system.

No one was hurt.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Jefferson, OH – Sprinkler system knocks down fire after plant explosion; No injuries reported

No one was injured in Friday night’s Worthington Industries cylinders plant explosion and fire, said Fire Chief Tom Lachey of the Jefferson Fire Department.

Employees evacuated the manufacturing plant, 863 Route 307, when a fire broke out at about 10:10 p.m. on the northwest wall and ceiling of the building.

“We feel (the cause of) it was propane-related in the heating units,” Lachey said. 

Everyone made it out safely, he said.

Area residents heard an explosion followed by sirens, making many wonder what happened.

East Jefferson Street resident Linda Masirovits said she was standing at her kitchen sink at about 10:15 p.m. when she heard a boom.

“It was a really loud, scary, long boom,” she said. “It shook our house and sounded like it was right above the roof.”

Her daughter, Wendy Stainfield, heard and felt the explosion several miles away on Webster Road in Lenox Township, she said.

Investigators believe the fire started in heating units that recirculate air throughout the plant.  

It took Jefferson Fire Department, assisted by Plymouth, Pierpont, Dorset, Austinburg and Ashtabula townships’ fire departments, about 20 minutes to extinguish the blaze. Firefighters stayed on the scene until about 1 a.m., Lachey said.

“The fire was contained; the sprinkler system went off and knocked down a lot of the fire,” he said. 

Food Processing, Manufacturing

South Beloit, IL – Sprinkler system quickly contains commercial fryer fire

A commercial fryer caught fire Tuesday at Axium Foods and caused about $70,000 in damages.

The fire was reported about 8:15 p.m.

Firefighters arrived at the plant, 239 Oak Grove Ave., to find 20 to 30 employees outside and heavy smoke inside the plant.

“The (overhead) sprinkler system activated pretty quickly and kept the fire contained,” South Belolit Fire Chief Michael Davenport said. “We had the fire under control in about 15 minutes and the fire completely out in 20 minutes.”

Axium Foods, at times a three-shift operation, is a corn-based snack food manufacturer making chips and other products.

“The fire started in the fry unit of the oven,” Davenport said.

The cause of the fire, however, remains under investigation. Damage was estimated at $50,000 to the machinery and $20,000 to product lost. Rockton Fire Department assisted.

Manufacturing, Paper Mill / Saw Mill

Strasburg, VA – Sprinkler system keeps fire contained to machinery at paper mill

Mercury Paper evacuated its Strasburg plant when a fire started in a building Friday morning.

The Shenandoah County Emergency Communications Center received a call at 3:41 a.m. from someone at the scene who reported a fire in one of the buildings, Shannon Walters, service assistant for the Shenandoah County Department of Fire and Rescue, said Friday.

Employees evacuated the facility, Deputy Chief Billy Streett said. Responders checked out one employee on the site for smoke inhalation who refused transport to the hospital, Streett said.

The fire started in a piece of equipment in a processing area of the plant, Streett added. Employees and then the plant’s sprinkler system extinguished the fire by the time fire and rescue crews arrived, he said, explaining that employees worked on putting out the blaze but flames grew to the point that the fire triggered the sprinklers. The sprinkler system kept the fire contained to the machinery.

Crews cleared the scene at 5:28 a.m., Walters said. Fire stations in Strasburg, Toms Brook and Middletown responded to the call along with rescue squads in Strasburg and Woodstock.

Fire and rescue workers have responded to other emergencies at Mercury Paper, Streett said.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Massillon, OH – Sprinkler system stops fire from spreading on production line

Firefighters quickly extinguished a fire in a production line Saturday night at Shearers Foods.

Crews were called to the plant at 4100 Millennium Blvd. SE, just before 10 p.m.

When firefighters arrived smoke was coming from the roof, Assistant Chief Paul Harbaugh said. The production line was in the south side of the building.

Personnel had been evacuated from the building and the sprinkler system had been triggered, he said. The fire was contained to the line and did not impact the structure.

Shearers maintenance personnel ventilated the building.

Perry Fire Department provided a medical unit.

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

South Chesterfield, VA – Boiler room explosion caused fire contained by sprinkler system; No injuries reported

Chesterfield County Fire and EMS responded to an explosion at Fiorucci Foods’ processing plant near Ruffin Mill Road early Friday morning. About 50 firefighters, including six engines and three ladder trucks with supervisors and medics responded to a call at 5:41 a.m.

The Fiorucci brand makes Italian lunch meats like Coppa, Salami and Prosciutto.

The explosion occurred inside a compressor for one of the facility’s boilers. Shifts were already at work during the incident, but no injuries were recorded. The boiler room is made with blast doors to protect against an incident of this kind.

“These blast doors are made with a purpose for these situations so that if anything does happen, these will open up and the force will go upward, as opposed to outward,” said Lt. Jason Elmore of Chesterfield County Fire and EMS.

Damage was limited to the blast doors and the boiler itself.

“They’re going to have to repair that area in there to get that part of the process back open,” Elmore said. “They were working today on utilizing some of their other coolers and refrigerants to get as much accomplished as possible.”

Chesterfield County crews spent the morning clearing the factory of smoke before staff could be let back in. The building was returned to the occupant around lunchtime.

“The one good thing is these blast doors operated so there could have been more damage,” Elmore said. “The force would have been outward instead of upward. Also, the sprinkler system activated and contained the fire that was in the boiler room … That’s what they’re designed to do and that’s what happened.”

The Department of Agriculture will have to be consulted for safety and cleanliness before the area can reopen. Elmore said he expects the facility to be closed for “at least a 24 hour period, if not longer.”

Manufacturing, Other - Manufacturing

Vero Beach, FL – Sprinkler system keeps fire from growing; No injuries reported

 Firefighters put out a blaze at the main factory building on the Piper Aircraft property Friday afternoon, authorities said.

Shortly after 3 p.m., there were reports of smoke at Piper, located near the Vero Beach Regional Airport. As of 3:15 p.m., the fire was out, Indian River County Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Kyle Kofke said.

According to Kevin Keegan, Piper Aircraft’s vice president of general counsel, a piece of equipment caught fire in the building’s main factory.

“We don’t have all the answers yet but that’s what we know so far,” Keegan said. 

The sprinkler system kept the fire from growing until firefighters arrived to douse it, Kofke said. The blaze happened in a paint booth within the main factory. 

Piper Aircraft employees were evacuated from the building’s main factory after an “emergency evacuation” was issued for every employee, workers confirmed. 

The morning employees were told to go home immediately after the evacuation, while the afternoon shift took their place. 

The fire was contained and no injuries were reported. 

The state Fire Marshal’s Office will investigate the cause of the fi

Manufacturing, Manufacturing Plant

Findlay, OH – Fire at factory kept under control by fire sprinklers until fire crews arrived; No injuries reported

Firefighters are on the scene of a fire a factory in Findlay Wednesday morning.

Officials say a fire broke out at Sausser Steel Company on Laquineo St. around 4 a.m. or 4:30 a.m.

Authorities say the fire engulfed a corner of the building.

The Findlay Fire Department says the building’s sprinkler system kept the fire from spreading further before crews arrived.

No one was in the building at the time and no one was injured.

The fire has since been put out and is now under investigation.

Laquineo Street is now back open.